AIIMS to be nodal centre for coronavirus treatment in India

The health ministry has asked AIIMS to designate part of the new emergency wing at its trauma facility, Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre, for setting up of isolation beds for acute management of Covid-19 patients.

NEW DELHI: The health ministry has asked AIIMS to designate part of the new emergency wing at its trauma facility, Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre, for setting up of isolation beds for acute management of Covid-19 patients.

This isolation facility will have a capacity to admit about 20 patients at a given point of time. Officials said the patients will be triaged here, following which they will be transferred to National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Jhajjar.

“We plan to create 125 beds for Covid-19 patients in NCI. Of this, 25 will be ICU beds and the rest will have advanced facilities for monitoring and acute management of Covid-19 cases,” sources said.

Six other AIIMS in Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Jodhpur, Patna, Raipur and Rishikesh have also been directed to keep ready 12-15 isolation beds for coronavirus patients. The number can be increased up to 30 if need arises, officials said.

Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry has also been asked to keep aside beds for isolating patients.

Union health minister Harsh Vardhan, who had a meeting with Poonam Khetrapal Singh, the regional director of WHO, on Sunday said he apprised her of the extensive capacity building efforts as part of the government’s mission-mode preparedness. “… I assured her that India is using speed, scale and determination coupled with best practices to push back #corona,” he tweeted.

On Saturday, PM Narendra Modi had reviewed the coronavirus situation in the country at a meeting with officials and directed them to identify locations for sufficient quarantine facilities and make provisions for critical care in case the disease spread further.

Sources said all top private hospitals have also been asked to be ready to handle Covid-19 cases. Dr V K Paul, member, Niti Aayog, told TOI the private hospitals have agreed to create facilities. “We need to be prepared for the worse while doing our best to contain the disease,” he said.

In Delhi, six private hospitals, including Max super speciality, Apollo and BLK hospital, have already created isolation wards. In Gurugram, Medanta Medicity has created an isolation ward where 14 out of 16 Italian nationals who tested positive for coronavirus are being treated.

“Individuals at highest risk for severe disease and death include people aged above 60 years and those with underlying conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease and cancer,” the report says.

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